In the News

Marathon Drugs Increases Price 70-Fold – 2/10/17 More predation by pharma. Marathon has gotten a decades old muscular dystrophy drug, deflazacort, approved and is charging $89,000 a year for it. It’s price in Europe is under $1500/year. Where are the free market forces? Why aren’t our elected officials protecting us from this egregious practice?

Promising New Prostate Cancer Treatment – 2/2/17 A new and very effective prostate cancer treatment, reported here, has a two-year relapse rate of around 25%. Though clearly not a cure, it has a major benefit in that, unlike all other treatments, it has no. Light fibres are inserted in the prostate, rather like a biopsy, and a light-sensitive drug is administered. The cancerous tissue is killed, and all else left alone. Would certainly be worth a try.

Hypertension Developing Late in Life Halves Onset of Dementia – 1/21/17 Research here indicate that people who develop hypertension in late in life has almost half the reate of dementia. Yet more proof that hypertension has a purpose and unless it is off the charts, is best left alone.

Lowest Stroke Rates in Older Baby Boomers; Younger People Rising– 9/12/16 reports the American Heart Association, here. There could be numerous factors at work. Less smoking among the baby boomers and less healthy diet among the young would be our guess.

Sugar Lobby Promotes Sugar– 11/13/16 Surreal. JAMA reports here that the sugar lobby has been systematically attempting to put the blame for heart diseases on something other than sugar. What were they supposed to do? They’re the sugar lobby. The real question is, “Why did Standard Medicine buy it?”

Zika Breakthrough– 8/30/16 Reported here and elsewhere, two existing (already approved) drugs appear to be effective against Zika. If this pans out, it will speed things up immeasurably.

AHA Limits Added Sugar– 8/17/16 A sensible recommendation from the American Heart Association limits sugar for children aged 2-18 to fewer than 6 teaspoons a day. Paper here. A better recommendation: Fewer than 0 teaspoons added sugar per day for all children aged 0-110.

Calcium Supplements Linked to Dementia– 8/17/16 A report in the journal Neurology, here, links calcium supplements to dementia in some groups of women. The risk, alarmingly, is double for this group.

Suppression of Antioxidants Kills Pancreatic Cancer cells– 7/28/16 Researchers at Cold Springs Harbor Labs find that antioxidants are, in some cases, aiding cancer, and by suppressing the antioxidants, the oxidants are then able to kill the cancer. Link here.

High Cholesterol Found to be Cancer Protective– 7/9/16 A study presented at a British Cardiovascular Society Conference, link here, finds that high cholesterol is significantly protective for four common cancers: breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal. Reasons for this are unknown.

Zinc Acetate Lozenges Reduce Length of Common Cold– 7/6/16 Zinc for a cold is a Dr. Mike favorite. Here’s some science to back it up. A study published here finds that Zinc Acetate Lozenges shorten common colds by three days.

BMJ Article: Bad Cholesterol Isn’t Bad After All– 6/13/16 This is huge. In BMJ Open, here, a peer reviewed study finds that high “bad” cholesterol, aka LDL-cholesterol, is inversely associated with mortality. Higher levels=less death. The stuff is good for you. This is heresy of the first water. Expect a huge blow-back. The lipid hypothysis—that high LDL cholesterol causes heart disease—is ingrained in the medical community like an eleventh commandment. It has never been proven, and kudos to BMJ for daring to run this article. (We would crow that we have repeatedly posted that the dangers of LDL cholesterol were nonexistent, but we will be nice and refrain.)

Stem Cell Injection Reversed Strokes– 6/6/16 At Stanford, reported here, stroke patients receiving injection of mesenchymal stem cells directly into the brain experienced, in some cases, dramatic improvement. If this research holds up, this is an astounding result. “This wasn’t just, ‘They couldn’t move their thumb, and now they can.’ Patients who were in wheelchairs are walking now,” said lead researcher Steinberg.

Bariactric Surgery Now Recommended for Diabetes– 5/26/16 The American Diabetes Association (ADA), and other groups, have now endorsed bariactric surgery (stomach stapling) as a treatment for adult onset or type 2 diabetes (ADOM). We are not making this up. Report here. Of course the ADA dietary recommendations are almost guaranteed to prolong AODM, so we suppose some sort of strange logic is at work here. For the surgery-free, drug-free Quantitative Medicine method, click here.

Low Salt May Be Dangerous – 5/20/16 The prestigious British journal Lancet reports here that low salt intake is more dangerous than high intake. This is heresy, of course, and the article, the magazine, and the authors have already been condemned and will be burnt at the stake. The QM view is that high salt intake is a fairly minor factor. In this article, high intake is worse only for those with high blood pressure, whereas low salt intake is dangerous to those with high blood pressure, and those with normal blood pressure. Again, standard-practice medicine has been making things worse.

JAMA Discovers QM – 5/19/16 The prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports here that secession of of smoking, non-heavy drinking, and exercise reduce cancer. Now while it’s wonderful that they have now seen the light, or at least are circling around it, hasn’t this been obvious for the last 50 years? They studied only white males. Are they setting us up for a sequel? Let’s spoil that one: it works for everybody.

Calcium/Vitamin D Causes a Stroke or Heart Attack for Each Fracture prevented – 5/12/16 From a Norwegian study reported here, “Our analysis shows that if 100,000 65-year-old women take 1000 mg calcium every day, 5890 hip fractures and 3820 other fractures would be prevented. On the other hand, as many as 5917 heart attacks and 4373 strokes could be caused.” A horrid tradeoff made worse by the fact that osteoporosis is easily prevented and reversed with no supplements needed. See posts here, here, and here

Medical Error Third Leading Cause of Death in U.S. – 5/3/16 This is not news. As a leading cause of death in hospitals,medical error has been a focal area for almost 20 years. However, findings published here in the British Medical Journal.indicate the the problem is far from solved. Deaths due to medical error represent around 10% of deaths, some 250,000. One problem, according to the article, is that adequate records aren’t kept: the deaths are often attributed to something else. Best strategy: stay out of hospitals.

Big Pharma to World: Take Something! – 4/21/16 From JAMA, here, a trial was conducted for patients who couldn’t tolerate stains.(42%, in fact). The “solution” was to give them ezetimibe, a drug with no known benefit and some probably harm, a drug currently approved for a very, very narrow cohort of off-the-charts high cholesterol. Only 27% could not stand this drug, so the trial was considered a success. The drug industry seems insistent on cramming ezetimibe down our throats. To even embark on this strange experiment shows a callousness and disregard for patient benefit that surprises even us.

Is Fructose Highly Dangerous? – 4/21/16 Maybe. From UCLA we have a finding that fructose is linked to detrimental changes to hundreds of brain genes. Press release here. Scary stuff, and it makes some sense. The body goes to a lot of trouble to keep dietary fructose out of circulation, converting most of it to a concentrated form of glucose called glycogen, and rapidly removing any excess that does get into circulation. The reason for this aversion to fructose is not known, but the research sited above may provide a significant clue. Besides a major sugar component of fruit, table sugar is a 50-50 mix of fructose and glucose, as is high-fructose corn syrup, a ubiquitous food additive.

Are Proton Pump Inhibitors Overprescribed? – 4/15/16 A new report In the Journal of the American Society of Nephrolog seems to indicate that long term use of proton pump inhibitors, which significant reduce stomach acidity, causes increased kidney disease. Such drugs are widely prescribed and are also available over-the-counter. Though likely safe for short-term use, longer term consumption seems to have problems.

FDA Pulls Plug on Combo Drug – 4/15/16 In a rare glimmer of sanity, the FDA has withdrawn approval on a drug called Niaspan, which is a combination of statins and niacin. The approval was made in 1997. Given that is know that statins are practically useless, and that niacin actually increases heart problems, you may wonder what they were waiting for. So do we.Might they now consider the rest of the dangerous drugs out there? Details here.

Interesting Alzheimer’s-Insulin Result – 4/13/16 An NYU business school researcher has connected some interesting dots. It is well know that high insulin is involved in Alzheimers, but the connection wasn’t clear. It seems that the enzyme that breaks down insulin is the same one that breaks down amyloid-beta plaque, the tangled mess that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. Schiller’s idea is that perhaps the all the enzyme resources are spent on the high insulin, and the amyoid-beta doesn’t get removed. Details here.

Another Early Cancer Detection Breakthrough – 4/8/16 Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, have created an optical biosensor for cancer detection that is a million times more sensitive than previous versions, pointing the way toward an effective early detection system for cancer and other illnesses.This might greatly improve early detection, which is ket to fighting cancer.Details here.

Choral Singing May Reduce Cancer – 4/5/16Researchers in Wales have determined that choral group singing improves levels of several anti-cancer hormones and biochemicals. Paper can be found here. In view of the next news item, the song Java Jive should probably be included in the repertoire.

Coffee Reduces Colorectal Cancer 50% – 4/1/16 Researchers at USC report “We found that drinking coffee is associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer, and the more coffee consumed, the lower the risk.” The press release is here. Dramatics reductions of up to 50% were seen. This area has been controversial for 20 years. The mechanism of cancer prevention is unknown, though it doesn’t seem to be caffeine, as decaf works as well.

Early Cancer Detection Breakthrough – 3/29/16Researchers at UCLA have developed a PET probe capable of producing far better images in certain types of cancers. With cancer, early detection is key. Clinical trials of the procedure may begin this year. Further info here.

Blonds Found to Be Non-Dumb – 3/23/16 A study here has found that blonds have a slightly higher IQ that non-blond people.Quoting,”Blonde women have a higher mean IQ than women with brown, red and black hair. Blondes are more likely classified as geniuses and less likely to have extremely low IQ.” It is hard to predict what researchers will think of to do research on. How about: “Do Blonds Have More Fun?”

Meal Time More Important Than Previously Thought – 3/17/16 Every traveler know that disrupting the circadian rhythm—the sleep cycle— is no picnic. New research from the Weizmann Institute indicates that not only is the body locked into this cycle, but even our mitochondria are. Mitochondria are tiny bacterial like cells found within almost all our own cells that convert the food we eat to energy. They apparently have time-driven hungry states, wherein they are ready and willing to convert the food to energy, and sleepy state as well. This means having meals at a regular time is more critical than previously thought.

Alzheimer’s and Brain Research – 3/17/16 There are almost daily reports of discoveries or possible breakthroughs involving Alzheimer’s and the brain. Just today, there are three such reports, all on mice, and so it is unknown if the results would carry over. There are reports of new neurons grown from stem cells, lost memories reactivate through light flashes, and increasing available neural energy by injecting pyruvate, an intermediate of glucose metabolism. A very active area.

Antidepressants Increase Mortality – 3/16/16 A study from Auburn and University of Alabama show a slight increase in mortality with uses of second generation anti-depressants.Report here. Knowledge of this will likely offset any anti-depression benefit as well. I much stronger anti-depressant that features a very strong reduction of mortality is exercise.

Canadian Medicine Discovers Exercise – 3/14/16 Canadian Medical Association announces: “Many doctors and their patients aren’t aware that exercise is a treatment for these chronic conditions and can provide as much benefit as drugs or surgery, and typically with fewer harms.” Not really. It actually provides A LOT MORE benefit. Bit it’s a step for organized medicine. Next week: hot water.

Exercise Reduces Alzheimer’s 50% – 3/11/16 No surprise at our end. But here, another study demonstrates the most effect way to prevent Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s Caused By Microbes? – 3/10/16 Researchers have reported that a virus and two types of bacteria are a major cause of Alzheimers. A microbial connection has been (and probably will remain) controversial. However, the causes of Alzheimer’s are not known.

Magic Pill Announced – 3/4/16 Drug companies adore lifelong drugs, and the latest “breakthrough” combines statins, blood pressure reducers, aspirin, and adult onset diabetes medication, and is called a Polypill. However none of these four have shown any mortality benefit, and all of them have serious side effects. But in combination, they are suddenly magical? The idea seems to be to get rid of screening and blood testa altogether, and put everyone over 50 on this pill. This idea is so bad, it would be praising it to call it crazy.

Breast Cancer Breakthrough – 3/3/16 A new drug combo is very effective against the HER-2 variant of breast cancer. A fourth of those treated saw dramatic reduction in tumor size, while in an additional 11% the tumor completely disappeared, in under two weeks. Details here.

Television Exposure Directly Linked To A Thin Body Ideal In Women – 2/22/16 The only real question here is: Are they paying grown-ups to come up with this? It’s a real study. Details here. What will they study next? How about: Driving Blindfolded May Increase Accident Risk.

Quick Selector

All About Fat

Much Is Written And Promoted About The Various Sorts Of Fat. Your Body Isn’t All That Picky, But Cells Prefers Saturated Fat.

For years we were told to avoid saturated fat, and go for monounsaturated. Then polyunsaturated fat had its day in the sun. Now it appears that the long maligned saturated fat is the best one of all.

Confused? If not, read the previous paragraph again.

Let’s start out with some handy abbreviations:

MUFA=monounsaturated fat

PUFA=polyunsaturated fat

SFA=saturated fat

What is Fat?

So what is fat really? It’s a string of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms stuck on. It looks like this. The silver hydrogen atoms are covering the string of black carbon atoms.

All oil is fat. We usually think of oil as something that is liquid at room temperature, but as far as the body is concerned, it’s all fat.

All meat, and most vegetables have some fat content, and it is typically a mix of the three types: MUFA, PUFA ,and SFA, and each type comes in a variety of lengths. So in fact, there are dozens of different sorts of fats.

Fat Comes in Many Forms

Most of the fat we consume is in the form of triglycerides, which is, well, three fatty acids and a glycerol backbone. Each glyceride can be made up any sort of fat molecule.

Here is a triglyceride with its three fat molecules.

All three molecules are SFA. How do we know they are SFA? Because they are straight. MUFA and PUFA have kinks in them. The straightness is the reason saturated fats, like butter, are solid at room temperature: The straight molecules stack better and take up less room, so SFA is denser and therefore solid.

The thing connecting the fat molecules together with the red oxygen atoms is a glycerol molecule. This is the “glyce” in triglycerides. If you pluck the fat molecules off, you are left with a glycerol molecule, which the liver will likely turn into sugar.

The silver balls are hydrogen atoms, and are covering black balls—carbon atoms—which are barely visible. The drawing isn’t to scale. The hydrogen atoms are much tinier. If we could “see” such things at all, we could easily see the carbon atoms. If there are as many hydrogen atoms as possible crammed onto those black carbon atoms, the fat is said to be saturated—saturated with hydrogen atoms.

If you pluck a few hydrogen atoms off, the adjacent carbon atoms will connect up with each other, and will form a kink. Then the triglyceride molecule starts to look like this.

Not so tidy.

Fat in the form of triglycerides doesn’t mix with water, and blood is mostly water, so triglycerides are not allowed loose in the bloodstream. Otherwise, they would cluster together and gum things up.

If you pluck a fat molecules off of a triglyceride, a couple of oxygen molecules will attach onto the broken end. It has then become a Free Fatty Acid, or FFA. These can float in the blood.

This is really quite a heap of different sorts of fats. There are three types, MUFA, PUFA, and SFA, and each comes in a wide variety of lengths, some bound up, three at a time, in triglyceride molecules, and other in the free fatty acid form.

How Does The Body Make Use Of All These Fats?

Is the body so flexible that it can directly use all of this huge variety? No, the body needs very specific lengths and types of fat. So then, does the body patiently wait for just the right type? Not it all. Instead, the body employs a tiny army of molecular butchers that take the fat, slice it up to the necessary length, convert it to or from MUFA, PUFA, and SFA, and package it up precisely as needed. The tiny butchers are called enzymes, and they actually directly snip and modify the fat molecules. Enzymes usually end in –ase. One such is called Fatty Acid Desaturase. Guess what it does?

Since we are designed to mainly use fat as energy, and also use it to build cells walls, it should come as no surprise that there are a large number of specialty enzymes in our butcher shop. Some convert the fats from the various types. Some pluck the fat molecule from triglycerides and tack on the needed molecules at the broken end, making an FFA. Others snip the long fat molecules into short pieces—fat briquettes if you will— that can feed the Krebs cycle, a sort of tiny furnace residing in our mitochondria, our basic cellular energy generators.

So the big picture here is that the body can slice and dice just about any fat we eat to meet its specific needs. So in a grand sense, it doesn’t matter that much which fat we eat. However, there are a few caveats here worthy of consideration:

Saturated fat is slightly better:

It is less subject to degradation—it keeps better.

It is somewhat more versatile as a cell wall building material.

It takes a bit less energy to snip it into the fat briquettes for energy production.

Trans-fat is really bad news. This is a man-made fat. The body is fooled and tries to use it, but uses it improperly. It increases heart disease and possibly cancer. An excess of 30,000 deaths per year were linked to it. Fortunately, it is all but gone from today’s diet. Keep in mind this bad news applies to man-made trans-fats; there are healthy naturally occurring trans-fats.

There are a couple of fats the body can’t make, or at least can’t make enough of: Omega-6 and Omega-3. These are fats with the kinks 6 or 3 carbons from the end. For some reason, the body has a hard time installing a kink there if needed, so we need to get these from food. Omega-6 is abundant, but Omega-3 a bit rare, fish being a good source. We need to get enough Omega-3. There is often talk of Omega-6 – Omega-3 ratio. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors probably got 1:1, but we are about 6:1. However, there is no real science supporting the value of the ratio. Just make sure to get some Omega-3.

Eat clean fat. This means organic vegetables and grass fed or wild meat. This is not the most financially economical way to eat, but try to lean in that direction when possible.

Superstitions Die Slowly

We suspect that today 90% of Americans believe saturated fat is bad for you. Hopefully our blog audience is substantially more enlightened. Saturated fat is actually good for you, and there is now no end of research proving that. It came to be bad primarily for political reason. For an in depth discussion of this, you might read “Good Calories, Bad Calories”, by Gary Taubes.In the meantime, enjoy your good healthy clean MUFA, PUFA, and SFA. Mix ‘em up. You need them all.
Oh, and by the way, fat won’t make you fat. The reasons are explained here.

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2 comments for “All About Fat”

Jim

May 21, 2015 at 7:03 am

Thanks for the great info – I hope you don’t mind, but I would also suggest reading Nina Teicholz’s “Big Fat Surprise”. Another great read that will leave you scratching your head in disbelief regarding the way some so-called science became dogma.

Another person to look into is Peter Attia (associated with Gary Taubes). If you search his blog, he published a nice series on fats and cholesterol – very informative.

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This became a continual process and Dr. Mike has accumulated data on hundreds of people for almost 20 years. At this point in the process, he knows what works, what doesn’t, how to restore health, slow aging, and block degenerative disease. But the formula is different for everyone, and without measurement, lifestyle recommendations are just a medical guessing game. Is Paleo best? For some, sure. But without measurement, there is no way to tell.
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My practice has been highly successful. Many many people have gotten well, have avoided degenerative diseases, have extended their lives. But my practice is full.
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